I am confused, angry, and calling for action
I am confused and angry about a few things the government is up to.
It is widely known (they repeatedly told us) that cuts to public services would not affect frontline services. Tell that to medical and nursing staff at hospitals and they will roll their eyes and give a rude answer (if they have time). The government has lied about this as we now know there is a hiring freeze on medical and nursing staff. This is immensely stressful on our valued hospital staff and their patients.
Proportionally, the coalition partners have far too much influence on the government’s policies. That influence has meant devastation and underfunding.
Some examples are: downgrading sick leave for part-time workers, health and safety reforms, rejecting world-leading tobacco reforms and funding cuts to mental health — which puts frontline staff in the firing line.
Without good health, we cannot live good lives.
Social experiments
From the ODT reportage, and the letters to the editor, the George St alterations appear a large-scale social engineering experiment to change our driving habits.
However, the thing about experiments is that to make results reliable, the variables need to be controlled and the DCC does not control all the variables in this particular experiment.
The necessary public transport that gives an alternative to driving is controlled by the ORC. Likewise, the major arterial routes through the city are the purview of the NZTA. And as to our terrain and weather: they’re challenging and beyond the control of anyone.
On my last walk down George St, from Knox to the Octagon, the most visible experimental result was around 20 vacant shop fronts and a shortage of people. So: how about we see what the long-term effects of the experiment are, before repeating it?
Specs needed
I totally agree with Max Reid’s letter (ODT 2.7.24): the George St revamp is a vast improvement. He suggests that Bernice Armstrong (ODT 29.6.24) should’ve gone to Specsavers. I would suggest that Leoni Schmidt (ODT 2.7.24) join her there.
I ride the bus to the hub at least once a week. I have never felt scared, nor thought the place was dingy, makeshift, cramped or dirty. It is another improvement to this city.
Forewarned
I am not trying to be a smart-arse in saying "I told you so" because it has proven to be so. Before the George St so-called improvements were begun I wrote to the ODT pointing out that the current fad of making main streets into pedestrian-friendly areas was a mistake and that what would more than likely happen has happened. Look at the disasterous figures of empty shops in the CBD. I realise they started long before the George St alterations but that has only exacerbated the problem.
I have pointed out to a number of local bodies in the South Island that the quickest way to kill off shoppers using the CBDs is to pedestrianise them. This has proven to be the case everywhere in the South Island that I am aware of.
A survey done by the ODT before the alterations were carried out showed clearly that the bulk of Dunedinites did not want the changes made. Quite a number of shop owners in George St clearly indicated that what they felt would happen has happened. But still the DCC ignored such pleas and went ahead with the changes.
[Abridged — length. Editor.]
An expat with an eye on the local market
I am writing in response to recent reports and headlines suggesting a struggling property market where high rates of delisted properties are being cited as evidence of a troubled market. The average Kiwi is smarter than to be swayed by these headlines and understands the natural fluctuations of the property cycle.
Rather than panicking, many homeowners are taking a wise approach by delisting and holding on to their properties to cushion a modest market decline. The data highlighted by Ed McKnight, economist at Opes Partners, published by RNZ, actually shows that homeowners are taking control and steadying the ship. It's clear that Adrian Orr, the Reserve Bank governor, has overdone it with the Official Cash Rate hikes, and homeowners are responding by battening down the hatches.
As much as Adrian Orr may be trying to tank the property market and perhaps even dreams of a crash, he is being met by a stubborn New Zealander who refuses to panic. I would suggest this is largely due to maturity, intelligence, and pragmatism.
Homeowners understand that this too shall pass, and they are navigating these changes in a calm and rational manner.
No thanks to a second bite of the cherry
Further to the concerns about a one-sided meeting regarding Aurora’s sale brought up in the ODT (4.7.24), it has been pointed out to councillors that in 1998 the council and board were warned by staff from Delta that unless more was spent on maintenance and capital works then huge amounts would have to be spent later.
It needed engineers and designers, not accountants and lawyers running it. This investment failure would end up with calls from the board for a sale of the company. This has proved correct.
Now the very groups who got the company into trouble in the first place are having a second bite at the cherry, having further input into their proposal with no such follow-up input from the public. This is despite them being un-elected. Furthermore they have used outside consultants to further force their agenda.
If properly run, the company is a licence to print money and I can't understand at all how consultants are puzzled by the interpretation that deferred revenue can become profits. They will. What concerns me most is there seems to be many different views on whether the company should be sold and many of the so-called facts are contentious and being slanted in a strongly pro-sale manner by a board who is clearly hurrying a sale.
It should also be pointed out that this sale was not put before the ratepayers at the last election. Surely this is not the time to rush a sale but give all those involved more time to present their views and the council more time to make their decision.
Ultimately the decision should be made by the ratepayers, not un-elected appointees with their own agenda. This is the most important asset we own and as Cr Gilbert says, this decision should not be made with a short-term view, but should consider our children and the next generation, the long term.
[Abridged — length. Editor.]
Address Letters to the Editor to: Otago Daily Times, PO Box 517, 52-56 Lower Stuart St, Dunedin. Email: editor@odt.co.nz
